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Electric Cars. Driving the Nation to a Cleaner Environment. History of Electric Cars. 1832-1839 Robert Anderson invented first electric carriage Designed by Professor Stratingh of Holland and built by Christopher Becker
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Electric Cars Driving the Nation to a Cleaner Environment
History of Electric Cars • 1832-1839 Robert Anderson invented first electric carriage • Designed by Professor Stratingh of Holland and built by Christopher Becker • Thomas Davenport and Robert Davidson built more successful vehicles in 1842 • Gaston Plante improved the storage battery
…History… • France & Britain were the first to support it • 1899-1900 was the most popular time for EVs in America • More popular because gasoline was expensive, the engine was harder to start, it was noisy, and produced lots of smoke • Averaged around $3000
…History… • Popularity declined around the 1930s • Charles Kettering invented the electric starter • Better roads system connected cities • Discovery of Texas crude oil • Mass production of internal combustion vehicles by Henry Ford
…History… • Almost no EVs used in the 1960s • There was a need for alternative fueled vehicles because of the exhaust emissions • The first electric Battronic truck was made in 1964 • Today several legislative and regulatory efforts have restored electric vehicle development worldwide
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 • Aimed to improve air quality by creating restrictions releasing harmful pollutants into the atmosphere • Promoted cleaner burning fuels which increased natural gas demand • Increased production of EVs because of restrictions on gasoline powered vehicles
Energy Policy Act of 1992 • Encouraged the electricity generation market • Established a new category of electricity producer: the exempt wholesale generator • Huge boost to electric power industry
California Air Resources Board • Mission: “To promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through the effective and efficient reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering the effects on the economy of the state.” • http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/mission.htm
How It Works • Powered by fuel cells and an electric motor • Electric motor gets power from a controller which gets power from rechargeable batteries • Accelerator pedal hooks to a pair of potentiometers, which are variable resistors that provide the signal of how much power to deliver
…How It Works… • Each motor has 2 potentiometers for safety • 2 types of motors: DC or AC • DC runs on 96-192 volts • AC is a 3-phase motor that runs at 240 volts with a 300 volt battery pack
…How it Works • DC is simpler and less expensive • Has a 20,000 watt – 30,000 watt motor and a 40,000 watt – 60,000 watt controller • Controller reads the setting of the accelerator pedal • The pulse power is more than 15,000 times per second
…How It Works… • Able to use any 3-phase AC motor • Regen feature • Controller creates 3 pseudo-sine waves and needs to reverse the polarity of the voltage 60 times per second • Needs 6 transistors
Charging an EV • Pumps electricity into batteries as quickly as batteries will allow • Monitors batteries and avoids damaging them • Can recharge from any outlet • Average amount of energy the car can consume is 1.5 kilowatts per hour • Can take 10-12 hours to fully recharge
Converting to an EV • Can convert existing gasoline cars into electric cars at home • Mainly uses a DC motor and DC controller • Voltage is decided by owner, usually between 96 and 192 volts • Usually have a manual transmission • Use lead-acid batteries
…Converting To An EV… • Remove the engine, gas tank, exhaust system, and clutch • Attach an adaptor plate to the transmission and mount the motor and controller • Find space to safely install the batteries • Wire the batteries and motor to the controller • Install accessories
Problems With Batteries • They are heavy • They are bulky • They have a limited capacity • They are slow to charge • They have a short life • The are expensive
Environmental Advantages • Environmentally friendly • No tailpipe emissions or local pollution • Not entirely pollution free because they are charged from electric-power grids • Gasoline powered cars produce 22 lbs. of CO2 vs. 7 lbs. for an electric car • Batteries can be recycled
…Environmental Advantages… • California tried to pass a Zero Emission Mandate that required 2% of vehicles to be completely pollution free • General Motors sued • 35% of air pollution comes from cars, motorcycles, and trucks
Economic Advantages • Traveling 25 miles on 5 kwh costs $0.40 for an electric car while it costs $2.00-$3.00 with gasoline cars • An electric car can be charged with a solar panel • Generates many new jobs • Less dependent on other countries for oil
Advancements • Iver Anderson, Bill McCallum, and Matthew Cramer from the US Department of Energy Ames Laboratory designed a “high performance permanent magnet alloy • Can operate effectively at 200 C • Less degradation of magnetic properties at high temperatures
Disadvantages • Short battery life • Long time to charge batteries • Batteries are expensive
Advantages • More environmentally friendly • More efficient energy use • No more paying outrageous prices for gas • Easy to use or convert to • Batteries can be reused and recycled
Sources • http://auto.howstuffworks.com/electric-car2.htm • http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/electric.html • http://www.evworld.com/general.cfm?page=evFAQ&title=EV%20FAQs • http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarselectrica.htm • http://www.mindfully.org/Air/GM-Sues-CA-ZEV.htm